"The Night Caller": More Than Just a Creepy Phone Call?

Okay, so I just watched "The Night Caller" (1975), and I'm kinda creeped out but also intrigued. The premise is simple: psycho calls women, insults them, and, well, you know where it goes from there. But I think it’s trying to say something more. Minos, this weirdo serial killer, isn't just hating on women randomly; he's specifically targeting independent, 'free' women. It feels almost like the director is trying to make a commentary on societal anxieties about the changing role of women in the 70s. Like, is this movie reflecting a fear of female liberation dressed up as a slasher? I feel a bit icky watching it if that is the case, you know? What REALLY got me thinking was how Minos gains power. It's not just the murders, it's the phone calls. He's using technology – a relatively new and intimate technology at the time – to erode their confidence and control. The phone becomes this symbol of intrusion and violation way before the actual violence even happens, and I wonder if that’s the real point. He strips them of their agency through psychological manipulation first. That scene where he calls the artist and just... dismantles her… is way more disturbing than pretty much any of the bloodier stuff. It leaves you thinking, 'what if this was my life?' I definitely don't think it's a perfect movie. The pacing is kinda slow in places, and sometimes the acting verges on melodrama. Plus, the special effects are… well, they're 70s special effects. But the underlying thematic stuff is super interesting. Is Minos a product of his environment and its hang ups? Or is he just a psychopath who latched on to a convenient ideology to justify his darkness? I'm not sure, but it's definitely worth discussing. What do you guys think? Maybe I'm reading too much into it. But honestly, the way it lingers on the initial phone calls, how it focuses on the women's reactions... it felt deliberate. It's not just a cheap thrills exploitation flick, I think the moviemakers were trying to make a statement...or at least I hope I am right. It's stuck in my mind!